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Humanitarian intervention seemed to promise a world in which human rights would be privileged over national interests or imperial ambitions during the 1990s. This book argues that humanitarian intervention had far more exploitative effects and draws on feminist, postcolonial, legal and psychoanalytic theory to provide an innovative reading of the narratives accompanying humanitarian intervention, a field which has received very little critical analysis. It concludes by considering what has been lost in the transference of concerns from humanitarian intervention to the war on terror.

Provides an engaging reading of humanitarian intervention, a field which has received very little critical analysis of this type

Develops critical methods of interpretation, drawing on feminist, postcolonial, legal and psychoanalytic theory to consider the effects of militarized internationalism

Considers the move from humanitarian intervention to the war on terror

Reviews & endorsements

"Orford presents a compelling challenge to those who argue for militarist interventions to protect victimized peoples."
-- Perspectives on Political Science

"If the best test of significance of a book is whether is makes you rethink a familiar topic, then this study of humanitarian intervention passes with flying colors...It deserves the widest possible reading, and is a fine complement to the more conventional..."
-- Political Science Quarterly

"A fascinating and quite provocative reading of humanitarian intervention... a success and a milestone that should be seriously considered by all who are interested in human rights."
-- George Washington International Law Review

"Eloquent and challenging."
-- Modern Law Review

"[A] compelling and brilliantly constructed argument... a vital source for those keen to better understand humanitarian intervention"
-- International Affairs

"An innovative, provocative, and challenging text on international law, a very rare accomplishment indeed."
-- Social and Legal Studies

"[Orford] assists us by providing a theoretical structure in which the relevant issues can be understood and a series of case studies of how things have gone wrong in the past. While she has not made future decisions any easier, her book may contribute to making them better."
-- NSW Law Society Journal

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Product details

Date Published: December 2007

format: Paperback

isbn: 9780521047661

length: 260pages

dimensions: 229 x 152 x 15 mm

weight: 0.39kg

availability: Available

Table of Contents

Preface 1. Watching East Timor 2. Misreading the texts of international law 3. Localizing the other: the imaginative geography of humanitarian intervention 4. Self-determination after intervention: the international community and post-conflict reconstruction 5. The constitution of the international community: colonial stereotypes and humanitarian narratives 6. Dreams of human rights Bibliography Index.

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